Railroad rail supporting and securing means



Dec '16, 941- l.. B. ARMSTRONG I 2,256,295

RAILROAD RAIL SUPPORTINGl AND SECURING MEANS Filed oct. A22, 1940 sshetsfsheet 2 INVENTOR. Ma/1y A T TORNEYS.

Dec. 16, 1941. B ,zgirqfvgTRQlu(3,v 2,266,295

RAILROAD RAIL SUPPORTING AND SECURING MEANS f Filed OCT.. 22, 1940 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. l

Patented Dec. 16, 1941 RAILROAD RAIL sUProRfrrNGAND SECURING MEANS 'v -lLevi Borden Armstrong, Greatl Neck, NQY'.,`as` signor to The LundieEngineering.Corporation' l New York, N. Y., a. corporation of:llewrYolr'kVv Application October 22, 1940, Serial No. 36251203 `7claims. (ci. zs'sfsie) The present invention relates to railroad railsupporting and securing means characterized by a new and improved formand arrangement oi cooperating tie-plate and clip by which a rail may besuitably secured in position on railroad ties.

A general object'ofY the invention is to provide a tie-plate andcooperating clips which may be used for the securing of rails havingbases of different widths, thereby reducing/the number of sizes oftie-plates which it is necessary to manufacture and necessary for therailroads to carry in stock.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a tie-plate whichI issimple and economical to manufacture'by reason of the omission of theribs often provided onA the top of tie-plates for engagement with one orboth edges of the base of the rail. 'I'l'ie omission of such ribs ismade possibleby the present invention by the p-rovision of a clip havinga downwardly extending lug which projects into an opening intheYtie-plate and engages the edge of the rail base. 'I'hese clips aresecured to the tie-plate in any suitable manner but preferably by ascrew bolt which passes through a hole in the clip and a hole in thetie-plate and into the railroad tie. The hole in the clip through which'the screw bolt passes may be of elliptical form so that the `clip may beset at different positions on the tie-plate in` `cooperation withdiierent widths of rail base;

andif; desired a crescent-shaped plug may be used to iill in a portionof said elliptical opening so as to provide for an abutting connectionbetween the clip and the -screw bolt when the clip is engaging the edgeof a rail base which is narrower than the maximum widthV of base withwhich the trie-,plate is intended to cooperate.

Inthe drawings there isv shown a tie-plate which. will afford goodgripping engagement with the tie and withthe rail base, will be as lightasis consistent with proper strength, and will cooperate properly withthe rail base eith'er with or without the provision of a layer or pad ofyielding material between the rail base and the tie-plate. Tothese endsthe tie-plate shown is not only provided on its bottom surface with theusual stepped projections, but also with reenforcing portions spacedapart from one another and arranged beneath those portions oi thetieplate which lie under the edges of the rail base. Also', the top ofthe tie-plate, throughout the area which is to beA covered by the railbase, is provided with cup-shaped depressions which not operateLadvauitageously with, the rail base and with any cushion or' pad usedbetween the rail base and the tielpl'ate.

The invention offers many advantages, among which theV following may bementioned: The elimination. of opstanding ribs ony the top of thetie-plate reduces the' cost of the plateby saving steel, by reducing theVco'st of rolling-mill rolls, by eliminatingxtherfreduent checkingofftolere ances between ribs, by reducing the cost of punch-A ing. whichin tie-plates of the prior art often has to 4be accomplished through theopstanding ribs" of the tie-plate, 'and in other ways. Elimination ofupstanding ribs on the top. ofthe tie-plate also has the advantage'ofpermitting the. use of the same size of plate' with rails havingdifferent base widths," asa'bove mentioned, and also provides theadvantage that in makingV rail renewals the tieplate may be leftundisturbed on the tie.

The tie-plate 'of the present invention is particul'arly adapted andintended to be used withY the unique spring clips hereinafter shown anddescribed. These clips-not only hold the rail in place onk thetie-plate, but also bear firmly onthe base of the rail and tend to'prevent creeping of the latter. These clips may be punched outof aribbon of heavy sheet' steel; and they can be economically manufacturedby a punch and die operation, or'they maybe Aeast or forged; One oftheadvantages ofthis Vspring clip is due to the-fact that itmay "be securedto the tie by'a single spikeor screw bolt,` although a second spike lmay be driven through the hole adjacent,V the downwardly extendinglug,.if that is thought desirable inrsome places as at railroad curves.

Other novel features and advantages of the in- Y art.

only result in economy of material but also cooo' The invention rwillloeunderstood from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which is illustrated a preferred form of theinvention, and in' which Fig.y l is a top '-view of a tie-plateembodyingthe invention; 2 is a bottom view thereof; Fig. 3 is anelevation of the tie plate and clips, secured to a railway tie andcooperatingwith the base of a railway rail; Fig. 4 is a top View of thespring clip forming part of the invention; Fig. 5 isa sectionalelevation on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 vis a top lview of acrescent-shaped plug which may be used in the elliptical hole in theclip; Fig. 7 is a side view of said plug; Fig. 8 is a top vie-w of amodified form of springrclip; .and Fig. 9 is an edge elevation thereof.Like parts are referred to throughout the drawings by the same referencecharacters.

The form of the tie-plate which is part of the present invention will beunderstood from Figs. 1, 2 and 3. As will be apparent from the drawings,the tie-plate is ribless, that is, it does not have on its top side therib or ribs usually provided for engagement with one or both edges ofthe base of the rail to be supported. The tieplate of the invention isprovided with a central portion 8 having a width between the shoulders 9and I0 substantially equal to the width of the widest rail base to beaccommodated thereon. This central portion or rail-bearing area 8 of thetie-plate is provided with cup-shaped indentations I2 preferablyarranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The side portions of the tie-plate,outside the shoulders 9 and IIJ, are provided with four pairs ofopenings I3 and I4, the preferred form and arrangement of which areshown in Fig. 1, from which it is apparent that the outer openings I4are circular and the inner openings are rectangular. The rectangularopenings I3 are so arranged that the inside wall thereof issubstantially on the lines where the edges of the narrowest rail base tobe supported by the tieplate will be. As will hereinafter appear, thispermits the clips (hereinafter described) to engage'with the edge ofrail bases'having different widths.

The form of the bottom of the tie-plate will be apparent from Figs. 2and 3.A As will be obvious, the bottom of the tie-plate is provided withstepped projections I6, and a plurality of reenforcing portions I I(which may be of the form shown or any other suitable form) the surfacesof which meet in ridges lying in the plane of the edges ofthe'projections I5 and are spaced apart from one another. Moreover,since the reenforcing portions I'I are arranged in those portions of thetie-plate which will lie under the edges of the base of the rail to beaccommodated by the tie-plate, a strengthening of the tie-plate isprovided at those portions where the tie-plate is subjected in use tothe greatest strains. Y

The form and construction of the unique clips which are adapted tocooperate with the tieplate hereinbefore described, will be apparentfrom Figs. 3, 4 and 5. As shown, theclipcomprises a substantiallystraight body portion having therein an opening 2l which is preferablyelongatedv as shown in Fig. 4. Extending from the body portion 2D of theclip is an offset toe portion 22 provided with an end 23 adapted tocooperate with the top of a rail base. As will be apparent from Figs. 3,4 and 5, the offset toe portion of the clip is provided with a lug 25which is cut and bent out of said toe portion so as to provide aspike-receiving opening b-ehind it and so as to extend substantially atright angles to the-body portion of the clip and across the plane of thelatter, as will be obvious from Fig. 5. As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, thebody portion of the clip at theregion of the opening 2| is preferablyprovided with an upward bulge.

The manner in. which the clips are secured to and. cooperate with thetie-plate is shown in Fig. 3. While any suitable fastener maybeemployed, either one of the forms shown in Fig. 3 is believed to bepreferable. The form of fastener shown at the left of Fig. 3 consists ofa screw bolt having a threaded end 33 adapted to screw into a holedrilled in the railroad tie 3l; and a rectangular head 32 adapted toreceive a wrench, a collar 33 below said head being provided forengagement with the top of the bulged portion of the clip. Thus thesubstantially straight body portion of the clip lies parallel to andagainst the top of the tie-plate, the end 23 of the toe portion of theclip is held in cooperative engagement with the top of a rail base 34;and the lug 25, which projects into one of the inner openings I3 in thetie-plate, extends vertically across and against the edge of the railbase and prevents the clip from skewing. As will be apparent from Fig.3, the rail base there shown is of the maximum width for which thetie-plate is intended; that is, the base of the rail extends from theshoulder 9 to the shoulder I0 of the tie plate. It will be obvious thatwhen the clips are used with a rail having such maximum width, the sidethrust of the rail which is taken by the lug 25 of the clip istransmitted directly to the securing screw bolt with which the wall ofthe elongated opening 2| which is nearest to the rail is in directcontact. If, however, the tie-plate and clips are used with a railhaving a base of less width, for example the minimum width, the clipsare then set at positions which leave a crescent-shaped opening betweenthe screw bolt and the end of the elliptical opening 2l nearest therail. If desired, such crescent-shaped space may be filled with acrescent-shaped plug 35 of the form sho-wn in Figs. 6 and '7.

The bolt shown at the right side of Fig. 3 is shown as also providedwith a threaded end 33 adapted to screw into a drilled hole in the tie3|, and with a square head 32 adapted to receive a wrench; but ofcoursethis bolt may be of a type adapted to be driven into the tie. Aswill be obvious from the drawing, the middle portion of said bolt isprovided with threads carrying a nut 38 which may either directly engagewith the top of the bulged body portion of the clip or may engage with ahelical spring 39 interposed between the nut and said clip. The boltarrangement shown at the right side of Fig. 3 holds the clip in properposition in engagement with the rail as in the case of the bolt shown atthe left side of Fig. 3. While in most cases a rail will be securelyheld on the tie-plate by means of the clips and bolts shown in Fig. 3,it is of course possible to augment the fastening means by driving aspike into the tie through the opening behind the lug 25; but suchadditional securing means is not generally necessary.

When cushioning of the rail on the tie-plate is desired, for the purposeof eliminating noise and absorbing shocks, a pad 42 of resilientmaterial, provided cn its bottom with cup-shaped projections 43 adaptedand arranged to register with the cup-shaped indentations I2 in thetieplate, may be provided. When such a pad of resilient material isAused, the clips hereinbefore described, serve particularly well to holdthe rail base 34 in engagement with the pad, so that the rail base, padand tie-plate adhere to one another more or less by suction due to theexclusion of air between the adjacent surfaces.

vIn fact, even when the pad 42 is omitted, there plate hereinbeforedescribed, and is particularly intended for use where the supported railis subjected to great lateral forces as in the case on curves. As willbe apparent from Figs. 8 and 9, the clip shown therein comprises asubstantially straight body portion 50 (which if desired may be bulgedas is the clip of Fig. having therein openings 5l and 52 which areelongated as shown in Fig. 8. Extending from the body portion 50 of theclip is an offset toe portion 53 provided with an end 54 adapted tocooperate with the top of a rail base. At both sides of the offset toeportion of the clip, are lugs 55 and 56 which are cut and bent out ofsaid toe portion so as to provide spike-receiving openings behind themand so as to extend at substantially right angles to the body portion ofthe clip and across the plane of the latter, as will be obvious fromFig. 9. It will be understood that the clip shown in Fig. 9 is securedto the tie-plate by any suitable fasteners, such for` example as thoseshown in Fig. 3, with the end 54 of the toe portion of the clip incooperative engagement with the top of the rail base, and with the lugs55 and 56 extending vertically across and against the edge of the railbase and projecting into the inner openings I3 in the tieplate.Therefore, the clip shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is highly effective inholding the rail on the tieplate and resisting lateral movement thereof.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the advantages setforth at the beginning of this speciiication, and others, are inherentin the rail-supporting and securing means which has been described asthe best known form of the invention. However, it is to be understoodthat the constructions of tie-plate and clip which have been describedmay be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention asdefined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Cooperating rail supporting and securing means comprising incombination a tie-plate having therein a plurality of pairs of inner andouter openings; and clips each adapted to cooperate with a pair of saidopenings in the tieplate, each of said clips comprising a substantiallystraight body portion adapted to lie parallel to and against the top ofthe tie-plate and having an opening adapted to register with the outeropening of one of said pairs of openings in said tie-plate and toreceive securing means, and a toe portion off-set from said body portionand provided with an end adapted to cooperate with the top of a railbase and having a lugcut and bent out of said toe portion therebyproviding on the outer side of said lug another opening in said clipadapted to register with the inner opening of said pair of openings insaid tie-plate and to receive securing means, said lug being adapted toextend vertically across and against Vthe edge of a rail base and extendinto said inner opening in said tie-plate.

2. Cooperating rail supporting and securing means comprising incombination a tie-plate adapted to support rails having bases ofdifferent widths, and having therein a plurality of pairs of inner andouter openings, the inner opening of each pair having its inside wallsubstantially on the line where the edge of the narrowest rail base tobe supported by the tie-plate will be; and clips each adapted tocooperate with a pair of openings in the tie-plate, each of said clipscomprising a substantially straight body portion adapted to lie parallelto and against the top of the tie-plate and having an opening adapted toregister with the outer opening of one of said pairs of openings in saidtie-plate and to receive securing means, and a toe portion off-set fromsaid body portion and provided with an end adapted to cooperate with thetop of a rail base and having a lug cut and bent out of said toe portionthereby providing on the outer side of said lug another opening in saidclip adapted to register with the inner opening of said pair of openingsin said tie-plate and to receive securing means, said lug being adaptedto extend vertically across and against the edge of a rail base andextend into said inner opening in said tie-plate.

3. A clip adapted to cooperate with a railroad tie-plate for securing arail thereon, comprising a substantially straight body portion adapted.to lie parallel to and against the top of a vtie-plate and havingther-ein an opening adapted to receive securing means, and a toe portionoff-set from said body portion and provided with an end adapted tocooperate with the top of a rail base and having a lug cut and bent outof said toe portion so as to provide another opening adapted to receivesecuring means and adapted to extend vertically across and against theedge of a rail base.

4. A clip as described in claim 3, in which the opening in the bodyportion is elongated.

5. A clip as described in claim 3, in which the body portion is bulged.

6. A clip adapted to cooperate with a railroad tie-plate for securing arail thereon, comprising a substantially straight body portion adaptedto lie parallel to and against the top of a tie-plate and having thereina plurality of openings adapted to receive securing means, a toe portionoff-set from said body portion and provided with an end adapted tocooperate with the top of a rail base and a plurality of lugs cut andbent out of said toe portion so as to provide openings adapted toreceive securing means and adapted to extend vertically across andagainst the edge of a rail base.

7. A clip as described in claim 6, in which the openingsin the bodyportion are elongated.

LEVI BORDEN ARMSTRONG.

